Rumor: A-Rod telling Robinson Cano to ‘play the field,’ not sign with Yankees

A juicy rumor from the pages of the New York Daily News’ “Confidenti@l” column (off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush) indicates that Alex Rodriguez has been telling Robinson Cano, his fellow New York Yankees infielder to not leap at signing with the Bronx Bombers. Instead, baseball insiders reportedly are telling Confidenti@l that A-Rod allegedly is telling Cano that he “should have should have second thoughts about re-signing with the Yanks.”

Because, you know, if the Yankees would mistreat such a standup guy like Alex Rodriguez who has been worth every penny of his contract, well, Cano better believe the team would treat him similarly.

Yeesh.

According to the gossipy report, sources added that Rodriguez has been “chattering off the field” with the 30-year-old Cano about how a change of scenery for the second baseman may be a good thing and that Cano “might want to try on a new uniform next year.”

Cano and Rodriguez, good friends off the field, are also connected by the fact that Cano is represented by Roc Nation, the up-and-coming agency fronted by Jay-Z, who just so happens to be one of A-Rod’s good buddies.

Cano signed a $28 million contract extension with the Yankees for the 2008-2011 seasons that also gave the team options for the 2012 and 2013 seasons worth $27 million total, with $15 million of that coming to him this season.

And while folks associated with Cano have apparently told Confidenti@l that he wants to remain a Yankee, the contract signed last month by Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia just inked a seven-year, $100 million is going to drive the price for Cano very high, although not to the absurd levels reached when A-Rod signed a 10-year, $275 million contract extension with the Yankees in late 2007.

But in the end, whether there is any semblance truth at the core of these allegations or if it simply is baseless conjecture and rampant rumor-mongering, one thing about it wouldn’t be a surprise in the least: That A-Rod actually would pull these kinds of shenanigans. At this stage, nothing is out A-Rod does in the coming months as the appeal of his 211-game suspension plays out, especially when the rapidly deteriorating relationship between him and the Yankees is taken into account.